On Friday, August 9th, Ukraine said that it would evacuate families with children from 19 more villages in the eastern Donetsk region, where Russian forces have been advancing. The villages, home to hundreds of people, are all within about 30 kilometers of the front line.
“A total of approximately 109 children are currently in these settlements,” Donetsk Region Governor Vadym Filashkin said on Telegram. “I emphasize once again: staying in the Donetsk region is extremely dangerous. Evacuate while you still can,” he added.
The Russian army has been gaining ground in east Ukraine for over a year and in July accelerated its advances for a fourth straight month.
Except for the early months of Russia’s invasion, only November of last year saw greater Russian advances than those of last month.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who has been pressing for an end to the nearly three-and-a-half year war, is expected to meet Russia’s Vladimir Putin for a summit in Alaska next week.
